MP3 Player Reviews

Sandisk Sansa Clip 4GB MP3 Player with Radio Feature

Overview:

Pros:

• Great sound quality
• Inexpensive
• Durable
• Nice form factor

Cons:

• Position of headphone jack
• Poor radio reception
• Absence of a micro SD card slot

Review:

SanDisk Corporation is an American multinational company worth USD 6.5 billion which designs and markets flash memory card products. Within a period of just 20 years, it has emerged as one of the leaders in providing data storage solutions.  The various products that SanDisk manufacture include Flash Drives for external storage, memory cards, Wi-Fi cards, and Audio and Video players.

In this review, we will be discussing about the various design aspects, pros, cons of their MP3 player- The SanDisk Sansa Clip 4GB  (SDMX11R-004GS-E70). We will be discussing the Sansa Clip as a whole and also about what has been changed with respect to its predecessors. We have also provided a verdict that will, we believe, help the reader come to a conclusion on as to whether the product is worth buying.

Affordable and Great Value:

Due to SanDisk’s heavy involvement in the Flash memory market, this Sandisk MP3 player comes in a very reasonable price, making it one of the cheapest portable MP3 players available in the market. Now, is that the only advantage? Definitely not! Among the various advantages that SanDisk Sansa Clip offers, a few of them worth mentioning are excellent audio quality, intuitive interface, convenient design, and most importantly a radio with reasonable reception.

Design:

Sansa Clip might not be the best looking music player available, but is definitely one among the best valued music players ever made. The exterior of the music player is made completely with plastic. The main housing is glossy and scratch-resistant with a slight metallic finish. The face of the player comes with the same finish beneath a plastic overlay which is scratch-resistant; the plastic overlay covers the screen and the signature blue glowing ring. The whole construction of the player is predictably light and toy-like, but button tolerances are tight, the power switch rattles a little though. Even though the player may feel very flexy and cheap, it is quite durable.

Issues with the headphone jack:

There is, however, a slight problem with regard to the placement of the headphone jack, the right angle headphone plugs prove to be a hindrance by getting in the way of the volume controls on the right end of the player. This is even more, when a heavier duty plug is used, lack of proper engineering one might call it. Switching the positions of the USB port and the headphone jack, or placing the headphone jack at the bottom of the player, would have solved the problem, or at least have provided a better option.

The Sansa Clip:

Ever wondered how amazing it would be to listen to your favourite music track while jogging or working out? With Sansa Clip, it is possible. SanDisk has come with a new addition, a removable clip-an improved version of what is available with Apple’s Shuffle.

Colours and Capacities:

The Sandisk Sansa clip is available in two capacities, 2GB and 4GB. In this review we have discussed about the $GB model and apart from the capacity, there is not much difference between both the models. The 2GB model is available in four bright colours like Red, Hot pink, Blue and Black and the 4GB version of the same is available only in Silver colour.

Display:

The bright two colour four line OLED screen performs well in almost any lighting condition but becomes unreadable in direct sunlight, just like any other non-trans reflective display will. The screen brightness is adjustable. Unfortunately, you cannot dim the signature blue wheel light.

User Interface:

The user interface employed is common to most of the members of the SanDisk Sansa family and it is just too easy to use. Although in the beginning, you might have a problem, there is slight learning curve to get over. There is no acceleration on scroll option; which implies that if you have a long list of songs, you might find it difficult to scroll though. Compared to the Sansa Express, the larger buttons are much easier and convenient to use, and have a better click to them.

The menu system unchanged:

SanDisk has managed to keep the main menu of the Sansa Clip simple: Music, Settings (for both the equaliser and backlight), FM radio and Voice. It is possible to drag and drop tracks and albums on to the Clip’s flash hard drive as well as to synchronise it with Windows Media Player. One other advantage of using this feature is that it remembers what you were listening to and lets you resume it from the start of that track or replay the whole album.

Features:

Transferring Media:
The Sandisk Sansa Clip 4GB MP3 Player is a Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) based device and it states clearly in all the packaging and literature that it is compatible only with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and above. However, it is also MTP/MSC OS operable, meaning that if the MTP protocol is not present when used with Linux or Mac based systems, it will automatically work in MSC mode which again is one among the many advantages of the SanDisk Sansa Clip.

FM Radio & Recording:
The FM reception quality is unbelievably awesome. Apart from that, it offers Radio Recording features as well. Recordings are straightforward and records in WAV format.

Voice Recording:
It works just like any other recording format, that is, WAV format. While recording, the Sansa Clip can also be paused. Like most MP3 players, the tactile buttons are audible, and micro phonic sounds will be picked just by normal handling of the device.

Sleep Timer:
Sleep timing intervals can be set at 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. This is a feature included for those who listen to music just so that they can sleep. This is a very thoughtful feature by Sandisk.

Browsing:
The SanDisk Sansa Clip 4GB Capacity MP3 Media Player (SDMX11R-004GS-E70) uses ID3 tag browsing just like its other Sansa siblings. But for those who prefer to organize their music themselves, this might not be how they want the browsing option to be like. In the next firmware update of the product, an addition of file folder browsing would be nice to have.

EQ-Equalizer:
The Equalizer is responsive, but what it does is, cut frequencies instead of boosting them. This is not a big deal unless you use more demanding headphones, that is, the ones that may decrease some necessary volume. The player has a five band custom Equalizer as well as many presets.

Performance:

Sound Quality:
According to press releases, the Clip is “one of the best sounding MP3 players in the market.” We can vouch for the authenticity of that statement, as it is pretty accurate.

Comparison with competitors:
We believe that the SanDisk Sansa Clip is anytime better than its competitors Creative Zen and Apple‘s Shuffle in almost every aspect like sound quality, radio feature, and cost.

A better display on the Sansa:
Clip also does have a sizeable screen on board. There is obviously no need for a comparison with Shuffle, because it has no screen at all. Zen Stone Plus does have a screen but it is not a patch on the Clip’s one inch screen which is larger, brighter, clearer and more colourful. You can also use it to browse the music on the player while you are listening too. Apart from that, the Zen Stone Plus has the irritating habit of playing any track automatically as you browse to it, making the screen pretty useless.

Better Features and Performance too:
The Clip packs other features in just as tightly as the Plus: there is an FM tuner, which you can record from. The battery lasts five-and-a-half hours longer than the Zen Stone Plus. The Clip’s d-pad is easier to use than the Shuffle’s and less fiddly than that of Zen Stone. You can even build playlists on the fly with Sansa Clip. Just press and hold the button at the centre of the thumb-friendly d-pad and the track is added to your playlist, as simple as that. Considering the fact that the expensive players completely miss this feature out, it is a very impressive inclusion.

Accessories:

The Clip comes with the basic four inch standard USB plug and ear buds. Not many aftermarket accessories are required for the Sansa Clip, but because of its small size, a key chain attachment or an armband would have been nice. The removable clip on the player, does work really well for active use though.

Warranty:

Sandisk offers its Sansa Clip 4GB MP3 player with one year standard manufacturer warranty.

Verdict:

The SanDisk Sansa Clip is a very affordable MP3 player; it has a solid, pocket-friendly design with dedicated volume controls and a built-in belt-clip. Moreover, it is easy to use and it offers a plethora of handy features. Despite being slightly weak on format support, it is feature-packed and feels even a little luxurious in other respects.

The SanDisk Sansa Clip 4GB Silver colour MP3 Player is a great little player that deserves to be as widely recognised as the shuffle or Zen Stone. It is miles better than its rivals, right from the clear onscreen display and easy to navigate menu, recording radio and external audio, the SanDisk Sansa Clip MP3 player is the best in its class. The SanDisk Sansa Clip is an excellent successor to the line, offering a fitness-friendly design with a built-in belt-clip, a simple interface, solid sound quality, and plenty of handy features, all for an ultralow price. It is an unbeatable value, so “Highly recommended”.

Check the SanDisk Sansa Clip 2GB MP3 Player Reviews, Latest MP3 Players in our website.

Sandisk Sansa Clip 4GB MP3 Player Silver - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	SanDisk
Model Name	SanDisk Sansa Clip 4GB MP3 player
Model number	SDMX11R-004GS-E70
Product Type	MP3 Player
Dimensions (H x W x D)	2.2 inches X 1.4 inches X 0.5 inch
Boxed-product Weight	454 g
Display size	1″ diagonal
Display type	OLED
Enclosure colours	Silver
Capacity	4GB
Capacities available	2GB and 4GB
Storage type	USB flash drive
Display adjustments	Contrast and backlight settings
Audio formats supported	WAV, WMA, Audible, MP3, protected WMA (DRM)
Radio feature	FM tuner with 40 preset channels
Connectivity	USB 2.0 for fast and easy transfer of files
Recording	Voice and Radio recording with built in
Source Output Mode	Stereo
Head Phones	Binaural - stereo
Microphone	Microphone - built-in
PC Interface Supported	Hi-Speed USB
Microsoft Certification	Compatible with Windows 7
Battery Enclosure Type	nternal
System Requirements	Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista
Battery type	Rechargeable , USB charging
Battery life	15 hours
Peripheral / Interface Devices	CD-ROM, USB port
Miscellaneous	Cables Included:   USB cable
Warranty	One year manufacturer’s warranty

Brand: Creative

In order to being in a multimedia revolution, the brand ‘Creative’ was established in Singapore during 1981. They are famous for Sound Blaster Sound Cards and bring in the multimedia products. With the right fusion of the form and function, each of its product is taken much care to make is perfect even with the smallest detail of the product. It also takes pride to state that it enjoys the best product award for the four consecutive years from 2003.

Model: MuVo T200 MP3 Player

It is been designed to offer a great music experience along with the storage of files in the memory of the device. The compact and sleek solution for all the music needs. Lets the user enjoy his own way by carrying it in the pockets or around the neck. Its interesting display is rather to keep you informed about the date and time as well.

Structural Characteristics: Creative MuVo T200 2GB/4GB MP3 Player comes with the small appearance with the option of the body colour of black, white and pink. The dimension of 77.7 x 25 x 11 mm relating to the height, width and depth is what the model looks. The weight of 20.6 grams makes an easy carry as it just feels like an additional pen in the pocket. It does have a display that features as CSTN Colour display with 65k colours. The resolution of this display screen is 128 x 32 pixels. Interesting to note that it is a great reference for the time and date for the user.

Memory Capacity: Typically, like most other models this product also comes with the colour choice and the memory capacity choice. The given choice by the manufacturer is either 2GB or 4GB memory. In case of the 2GB version, it can store up to 1000 songs approximately and in case of the 4GB version the storage extends up to 2000 songs. The memory belongs to the flash drive type and been noted that there are no option for the extended memory support.

Functions: MuVo T200 MP3 Media Player is an absolute model of the music lovers as all that they provide is the audio playback. It can store all the required files of even the image files but can play only music. Available in Creative MuVo T200 Black, White and Pink Colour MP3 Player is the built-in voice recorder that records the voice and helps to assists during the meetings and the lectures. They also offer playback equaliser for the user to go by their interest. The playing of music with this model is quick and easy as by just plugging into the USB port it copies and transfers the files and can be played instantly.

Power / System Requirement: Being powered up with the built-in battery power that can be recharged through the USB port. In a completely full recharge, it offers to plays a full 9 hours of music. This is great even when on travel and the charge seems to last long. The system requirement for Creative MuVo T200 CSTN Colour Display MP3 Player is MS windows XP, Vista.

Package contents: The manufacturer offers Creative this MP3 Player in a package that contents the Player, Earphones and the Quick start.

Warranty: Provided is the 1-year warranty period for this model.

Creative MuVo T200 MP3 Audio Player - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Creative
Model Name	MuVo T200 MP3 Player
Product Type	MP3 player
Display	CSTN Colour display
Display resolution	128 x 32 pixel
Display colours	65K colour
Dimensions(H x W x D)	77.7 x 25 x 11 mm
Weight	20.6 grams
Memory capacities available	2GB and 4GB
Supported audio formats	MP3 (Up to 320 kbps), WMA (Up to 320 kbps), WMA with Digital Rights Management (DRM) 9
Recording formats	Voice: IMA ADPCM (8 kHz, Mono)
Available colours	Black, White and Pink
Audio recording	No
Interface	USB1.1 / 2.0
FM Radio	No
Voice recording	Yes
Multi language	No
Music storage capacity	2GB: 1000 songs; 4GB: 2000 songs
Album art	Yes
Battery type	Built-in rechargeable
Battery playtime	9 hours of audio
System requirements	MS windows XP, Vista
Package contents	Player, Earphones and the Quick start
Warranty	1 year

The brand ‘Technika’ introduces MP-309 1GB MP3 Player in the clip style; this no-display model is a handy and portable one that offers hours of fun with music. An easy carry device is sure to impress anybody of any age group. The following is the review of this model.

Petite in design: No wonder that small is smart suits best for Technika MP-309 Compact MP3 Player. It comes with an attractive blue colour body that is been made of high-grade plastic material. The combination of white for the back of the players adds to the style. This innovative look is been added up with its product dimension of 45 x 34.4 x 16.8 mm that represents its height, width and depth. As little as 25 grams is just the weight of the pen in the pockets. Very true, is that it can get into the pockets of any size. Although it does not come with the built-in speakers or the microphones, it produces the output with effective earphones.

In-built Memory: This model comes with the built-in flash memory of 1GB. It is capable of storing up to 300 songs to excite the user. All time favorites can be carried along without any difficulty.

Battery type and its power:  This Technika MP-309 Flash Memory MP3 Player works with the battery power and is been embedded with the Lithium ion rechargeable battery that is been built-in with the device. It has the power to produce the output for 9 continuous hours when it is in full charge. Also allows to be recharged through the adapter.

Functions and Controls: With the ability to offer music play back that supports the formats of MP3 and WMA goes in an interesting way. The songs can be ordered as preferred and can be selected to be shuffled and played. Each time row of music can be made different to offer a new experience to the user. The controls are been found in the front side without the discrimination in the colour, in a wheel control the play, skip, rewind, forward and pause controls are present to be operated in just the touch of the button.

Convenience: The convenient features that are underlying in Technika MP-309 Blue Colour MP3 Player are the earphones that bring the best music output and the clip style that allows to be clipped to anything and makes an easy move all the time.

Miscellaneous: The supported OS for this model are Microsoft windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP and the interface of mini USB is been present here. This helps to transfer the files from and to the other devices.

Included accessories: The following are the accessories that come inclusive on the buy of Technika MP-309 1GB MP3 Player Earphones, CD driver and USB cable.

Technika MP-309 Compact, Portable MP3 Media Player - Specification Details

Manufacturer	Technika
Model Name	MP-309 1GB MP3 Player
Product Type	Compact, Flash MP3 Player
Memory type	Flash
Display	No
Dimensions(H x W x D)	45 x 34.4 x 16.8 mm
Weight	25 grams
Body material	High grade plastic
Colour	Blue
Style	Clip style
Memory capacity	1GB
Supported audio formats	MP3, WMA
Voice recording	No
Audio output	Ear phones
Interfaces	USB
Compatible OS	Microsoft windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP
Convenience	Earphones; clip type
Battery type	Lithium ion
Battery life	Audio up to 9 hours
USB adapter	Yes
Included accessories	Earphones, CD driver and USB cable

This RaGa 4GB MP3 Player walks into the market with the identity of the well-established manufacturer ‘Philips’. Both the design and technology embedded in this product is a great treat for the music lover. Philips RaGa Go Gear 4GB MP3 Player is been reviewed to provide the perfect insight of it.

Portable, compact structure: Known to be an MP3 player, this 4GB MP3 Player model is been designed in the compact form for the user to carry along anywhere. It comes with a neat square shape with the dimension of 15.6 x 44 x 46 mm as height, width and depth respectively. It cannot be called compact just with the determination of the dimension. It is true that it weighs just a mere 34 gram. Hence, taking it along does not bother anymore. This petite model comes with the aluminium finish that ensures the robustness and durability.

Display/controls: This SA1942/02 Digital Audio Player comes with the user-friendly control panel. It consists of three-line display that is good enough for the display of the song titles, remaining battery power and can go through the music library and choose among the artists and the albums. The display consists of the backlight and the screen belongs to the LCD type with the resolution 128 x 48. The controls are present in the front side with the soft touch buttons. It dedicates to the super scroll, volume control and features with the keypad lock.

Memory Capacity: The storage type belongs NAND Flash type with the capacity of 4GB. It comes with the mass storage class compliant and the music storage capacity can go up to 900 music tracks.

Performing functions: The various functions offered by this player are been briefly discussed as under.

• Audio playback – It is said to offer a wide range of audio playback that supports the various file formats ofMP3, WAV and WMA.
• ID3 Tag Support – It offers this support of song title, artist and album.
• Audio capturing – This model is capable of recording voice with the built-in microphone and captures with the file format of WAV. The voice-recording format is ADPCM and the built-in microphone belongs to the monotype.

Humbling battery: Philips RaGa Portable MP3 Player belongs to the Li-Polymer battery type that can be recharged through USB. It gives a play time for up to 27 hours, this allows the user to enjoy throughout the day to be recharged at the end of the day.

Features:

• Available in Philips RaGa Voice-Recording MP3 Player is the ‘Equalizer’ with the technology that automatically sets the optimum sound based on the style. The choice lies between Classic, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Rock. These preset EQ can be enjoyed with the right sound.
• It allows to ‘drag and drop the songs’ from the PC without the need of any special software.
• The connectivity is through the headphones of 3.5mm each and the USB 2.0.
• This product comes with the ‘Green Technology’ as it is been designed with the lead-free soldered finish.

Package contents: This model comes with the package contents of MP3 Player with earphone, USB 2.0 cable and Installation CD.

Philips RaGa  SA1942/02 4GB Flash MP3 Player - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	Philips
Model Name	RaGa 4GB SA1942/02 MP3 Player
Type	Compact, Flash MP3 Player
Memory type	NAND Flash
Display	LCD, 128×48 pixels
Dimensions(H x W x D)	15.6 x 44 x 46 mm
Weight	34 grams
Body material	Aluminium
Colour	Silver
Equaliser Settings	Classic, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Rock
Memory capacity	4GB
Supported audio formats	MP3, WAV, WMA
Supported image formats	None
Voice recording	Yes
Audio output	Ear phones
Interfaces	USB 2.0 High-Speed Device
Operating system	Microsoft windows 2000, XP, Vista
Convenience	Earphones; neck strap
Battery type	Lithium ion polymer
Battery life	Audio up to 27 hours
Package contents	MP3 Player with earphone USB 2.0 cable Installation CD

Archos, has given a new touch to Clipper MP3 Player that makes you keep it all the time and where ever you go. Crisply Archos Clipper 2GB MP3 Player can be described as big in sound and small in size. It gives all the entertainment with the MP3 functions. Keeping you on toes with the favourite music all the way is possible with this model.

Special design: The credit of this model rests mostly in its innovative design. Looks attractive with its black colour finish. It does consist of a clip that can be clipped to your clothes or the belt to be carried all the while. Compact in size with the dimension of  52 x 27 x 12 mm and it weight is as less as 14 grams that does not bother the user in any way. It goes all the way into the tightest pockets and its curved edges make handling easy.

Functions: This device offers the best of music and supports the various music file formats of MP3 and WMA. These formats are good enough to handles many music files.

Storage: This device comes with the high storage capacity of 2GB. Even in case of many multimedia players, this has been the storage capacity. Archos Clipper Compact size 2GB MP3 Player thus stands out interesting with this high storage. It can store up to 60 hours of music that is more than 1000 songs and yet priced small as its size.

Features:

• User friendly – The control of this model is intuitive that comes with the soft touch buttons. It is simple and friendly to use.
• Playback – The playback functions can be set as your personal DJ as it lets you to play shuffle or normal. It is easy to switch from one mode to another. All that is required is to hold the play button present in the center. If it is required, to play the same song again then the normal mode can be opted and in case of switching to the next, the shuffle mode can be selected.

Battery: Available in this model is a built-in rechargeable battery that offers up to 11 hours of music. It can be recharged either by the mains or through the USB port.

Others: This Portable MP3 Player shows compatibility with the various OS of Microsoft windows or MAC and Linux. The interface of Archos 2GB MP3 Player is the high speed USB 2.0 for managing the files.

Package contents: The various package contents of this Player are MP3 Player, USB Cable, Earphones and User Guide.

Check other 2GB MP3 Player Reviews in this website.

Archos Clipper 2GB Portable MP3 Player - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	Archos
Model Name	Clipper MP3 Player
Display	No
Colour	Black
Dimensions	52 x 27 x 12 mm
Weight	14 grams
Supported formats	MP3, WMA
Audio recording	No
Headphone jack	Yes
Interfaces	USB 2.0 High-Speed Device
Memory Capacity	2GB
Built-in speakers	No
Compatible OS	Microsoft windows, MAC and Linux
Battery type	Built-in Rechargeable
Battery life	Music playback: 11 hours
Features	User friendly Shuffle or normal play Easily clips anywhere Stores more than 1000 songs
Package contents	MP3 Player USB Cable Earphones User Guide